THE BASEBALL FLYOVER | A look back at Tuesday’s games
Kilgore got back on track Tuesday night at home – and delivered a damaging blow to Gilmer’s playoff hopes – with an 8-2 win over the Buckeyes on Tuesday night at Driller Park, in Kilgore.
Coach Zach Hubbard’s Diamond ‘Dogs got three hits each from Cason Edney and Joseph Hendrickson, and 4 RBI from Edney, in the win, as Kilgore made a move to seal up third place in District 16-4A.
But nothing is really sealed yet.
With two games left, Spring Hill is unbeaten (11-0). Carthage is 10-2, and Kilgore, 8-4. Henderson is 7-5, and then Gilmer is 4-7.
Pine Tree (4-8), Chapel Hill (2-9) and Cumberland Academy (0-11) are the three teams in the district that have no hope of making the postseason.
The Diamond ‘Dogs now have two games left in the regular season: at Gilmer on Thursday, starting with the junior varsity game at 4:30 p.m., with varsity afterward; then at Carthage next Tuesday, April 22, to end the regular season.
Gilmer, then of course, hosts Kilgore on Thursday, and wraps up the season at Spring Hill on Tuesday.
Against Gilmer Tuesday night, the ‘Dogs scored two runs in the bottom of the first, another in the fourth, two more in the fifth, and three in the sixth; the Buckeyes scored both of their runs in the top of the seventh.
For the Buckeyes, shortstop Z. Turner and left fielder A. Vineyard each went 2-for-4, and one of Vineyard’s hits was a double; T. Horne went 2-for-3; third baseman Ryder Lange had a hit; Aiden Davis had a hit and an RBI, and a stolen base; B. Darnold had a hit, and C. Edwards had an RBI.
Klein Lindsey went four innings on the mound and allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits, and four walks; he struck out five. Davis pitched two innings, allowing four runs (all earned) on six hits. Lindsey threw 84 pitches, 49 of them strikes, in facing 21 batters.
Edney’s hits were all singles, but a 3-for-4 performance with 4 RBI is a big night. Hendrickson’s 3-for-3 performance with the 2 RBI included two doubles.
Tanner Beets had two hits from his second base hole. Third baseman Miles Applegate went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. And Salvador Cervantes had a hit.
Jaxon Warner had a stolen base.
Edney pitched 6 1/3 innings for Kilgore, allowing two runs (both earned) on nine hits, walked one and had seven strikeouts. Kaeson Clayton came on for 2/3 of an inning, walking three with two strikeouts.
Carthage 8, Henderson 0: The other big 16-4A game Tuesday night was in Carthage, where Henderson’s Lions, who had been on a hot streak, finally were cooled off by the second-place Bulldogs.
Carthage pitcher Cade Ross held the Lions to three hits, and obviously, no runs. Hunter Schwettman, Manning Bradley and Kayne Brantley all had singles for Henderson, who dropped to 7-5 in district with the loss.
But they meet again on Thursday in Henderson, a 4:30 p.m. JV start, varsity to follow. Kilgore and Henderson are battling for the third-place spot in the district.
Brian Biggs took the loss for Henderson, with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings pitched. He walked seven. Maddox Martinez led Carthage’s offense with three hits, one of them a double, and 4 RBI.
District 19-2A
Overton
Overton 5, Beckville 4: Overton trailed, 4-3, going into the bottom of the seventh, but the home crowd and big hitting pulled the Mustangs through.
And when we say “big hitting,” we don’t necessarily mean the ball, the whole time.
In the seventh, the Mustangs had a couple of singles by Rylan Holleman and Braxton Harper, and then Landon Hill was hit by a pitch to load the bases up. Two batters and an out later, another HBP (Mason Rowe) scored a run, and then Joey Zalman hit a fly ball. Beckville was charged with an error – one of SEVEN on the night by Beckville – that allowed Harper to score the game-winner.
The stakes: Overton won its sixth straight game, is now 20-6, and 8-2 overall.
Beckville is 15-4, and 9-2 in district play.
The two will meet again in Beckville, starting with JV at 4 p.m., on Thursday.
Harper went 3-of-4 with an RBI in the win Tuesday. Holleman had two hits and scored twice. Bryson Bobbitt and Brown each had a hit, and Mason Rowe and Jayden Edwards each had an RBI.
Holleman and Bryce Still shared pitching duties, and Holleman took on most of it. Holleman threw six innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits, walked five and struck out one, facing 30 batters. Still threw one inning, allowing no runs, and no hits, and walked one.
Baker Seegers led Beckville with two hits, both of them doubles, and had an RBI. He also pitched one inning, allowing no runs, hits or walks, and had a strikeout. Aiden Brantley threw six innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits, walked three and struck out nine.
Leverett’s Chapel
LC 12, Miller Grove 0: Carson Ford is on a roll.
The Lions’ standout had a triple, two singles, and 2 RBI in this run-rule home win on Tuesday. Ethan Williams also had a triple for LC (5-5-1, 1-1). Davis Tryon had two hits and 3 RBI. Keaton Geter had a single and 2 RBI, and Ford, on the mound, had seven strikeouts, allowed three hits and didn’t walk a single batter in four innings pitched.
Ethan Vaden had a hit, as did DeWaylon Brown. Vaden scored three runs. Chris Smith, Benrley Quinaity, Brown and Trent Wheat each scored twice. Kirk and Williams each scored once.
Wheat had four stolen bases. Tryon had two, and Vaden, Smith and Brown each had one.
According to a recently-revised schedule, LC has three games left in its regular season: at Union Hill on Thursday at 6 p.m.; at home against Avery next Tuesday at 4; and then a rematch with Miller Grove, again at LC, next Friday, April 25, also at 4.
District 16-3A
Arp 3, West Rusk 2: A close finish, as Arp broke a 2-all tie in the bottom of the sixth.
AB Martin walked, then went to second on a passed ball during an at-bat by Will Sanford.
With an out, Martin managed to steal third, and then scored when Alex Ponce hit a grounder. Ponce was out, but Martin had came around for what would be the game-winner. Kam Brown managed a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh, but the Raiders couldn’t bring him around to tie it up.
Martin and Sanford had the only two hits of the game for the Tigers; Sanford’s hit was a double. Ponce and Mason Wallace each had an RBI.
Caden Cliborn got the win on the mound – he went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits, with one walk and six strikeouts. Layton Shelburne pitched 1 2/3 innings for the Tigers; he allowed one hit and one walk, and struck out one.
For the Raiders, Brown went 3-of-4 with an RBI; Gunner harp had two hits, one of them a double; and Cole Jackson and Kullin Tavarez each had a hit.
Jase Reasoner went four innings on the mound, allowing two runs, neither of them earned, on two hits, with two strikeouts, and walked no one. Tavarez pitched two innings, allowing one unearned run, with four strikeouts, and one walk.
As far as the playoff race in 16-3A, it’s a muddled mess.
Troup and Tatum are each 8-2 in district play. White Oak and Gladewater are each 6-5, and West Rusk is 5-5, all with two games left.
Arp is 3-7, and also has two games left, but is mathematically out of the race, as is Sabine, without a district win.
West Rusk and Arp will meet again on Thursday, a 4:30 p.m. JV start in New London. Then Arp will finish the season at Troup next Tuesday, also starting with JV at 4:30.
After playing Arp on Thursday, West Rusk finishes the regular season at home against Gladewater next Tuesday – JV at 4:30, then varsity afterward.
Tatum 5, White Oak 4: Tatum, fighting with Troup for first place in the district, tied White Oak at 2-all in the top of the fifth, and trailed again, 3-2, in the bottom of the sixth.
The Eagles scored three runs in the top of the seventh, then held on in the bottom of the inning for the one-run win.
Cayden Tatum and Colt Bullard each had a double for the Eagles, and Tatum also had a single. Jaxen Prince had two singles and 3 RBI. Brody Downs also had two singles. Cooper Whiteus and Kody Hines each had a single and an RBI.
Grant Adcock scored twice, and Prince, Tucker Anthony and Whiteus each scored once. Hines had a stolen base.
Tristin Berry got the win for Tatum. In 10 innings, he allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits, walked two, and had a strikeout.
For White Oak, Jordy Robertson and Brady Greenwood each had a double and two singles.
